John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

Big win for my online client getting back on the volleyball courts!

She started working with me 5 months post ACL surgery - she was stuck, frustrated, and missing extension motion.

✅️Get quality help
✅️Put in the work

4 days ago | [YT] | 1

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

You’re wasting months of time, and most people don’t even realize it.

The standard of care for ACL injuries leaves a lot to be desired.

I see it all the time—people 3+ months post-op, stuck. Still dealing with stiffness. Weak quads. No confidence.

Why? 🤔
Because the early stages were treated like any other injury.

Generic programs.
Timeline-based progressions.
“It wil get better with time”

Those first few weeks lay the FOUNDATION for everything that comes next.

If key pieces get missed early, you don’t just “catch up” later. You spend months trying to fix what should’ve been handled from day one.

These issues compound.

Most of my clients reach out when they're deep into the weeds. Persistent pain, weakness, missing motion.

Most people wait....and wait...and wait...

Everyone’s recovery is different—
but poor guidance shouldn’t be part of the equation.

This is where a lot of people get stuck👇

working hard, but missing what actually drives progress.

1 week ago | [YT] | 4

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

Rehab clinicians 👇

ACL rehab criteria are everywhere now.

Follow good accounts & scroll for ten minutes and you'll find the checklists — quad symmetry, performance tests, the boxes to tick before someone runs or cuts.

Knowing the criteria isn't the hard part anymore. Building the program that actually gets them there is.

How do you program plyometrics? Structure a return-to-run? Train deceleration on purpose? Design a cutting program for their sport?

That's exactly what ACL From A to Z was built to teach — the application, not just the checklist. Pre-surgery to return to sport, with sample programs at every stage.

For the 4th of July: $300 off the course + my exclusive mentorship recordings, free this weekend only.

Ends Monday at midnight.

👉Comment "A TO Z" and I'll send you the info

1 week ago | [YT] | 1

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

Three things you were told about ACL recovery that are quietly costing you your comeback.

Repeated so often they sound like facts. They're not.

They big culprits for leaving people weak, scared, and stuck 8+ months out.

Not because you did anything wrong. Because the system taught you wrong.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 3

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

The first month after ACL surgery sets the ceiling for the rest of your recovery.

Not the floor. The ceiling.

Whatever foundation you build (or don't build) in those first 3 months shows up in everything that comes after. Your range of motion, your quad strength, how your knee feels under load, how confidently you return to running, sports, and life.

Here's why this stage matters so much:

→ Knee extension at week 4 has been shown to correlate with extension loss at week 12. Miss it early and you're playing catch-up for months.

→ Your quad isn't just "weak" right now — it's neurologically inhibited. The longer it stays shut off, the harder it is to wake back up.

→ Swelling and pain that aren't managed properly will slam the brakes on every other piece of your rehab.

→ Compensations that start early don't magically disappear in week 16. They get baked in.

The four targets that matter most in this phase:

1. Minimal to no swelling
2. Minimal to no pain
3. Quality quad activation
4. Full knee extension and flexion range of motion

We call this a "quiet knee." And every exercise in early rehab should be tied back to one of those four things. If it's not — it doesn't belong there yet.

Most people don't get a clear breakdown of what this phase should actually look like. They get a handout. Some quad sets. A few heel slides. Maybe a bike. No specific dosing. No reasoning. No structure.

That's the gap I see show up at month 3, 6, even 12 in the people who come to me stuck.

Nothing cute. Nothing fancy. Just the raw basics done well — that's what builds a foundation strong enough to support everything you want to get back to.

Want the full breakdown?

👉Comment "milestones" and I'll send you the video

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 3

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

"Just rest it for a few weeks."

Do irritated tendons need rest? Initially, yes in some cases. But RELATIVE rest is the key.

Completely avoiding load is how knee tendonitis turns into a 8+ month problem.

Tendons don't heal by being protected — they remodel in response to load. Rest, resistance bands, and "taking it easy" leave the tendon in the dead zone, where nothing changes. That's why it keeps flaring the second you ramp back up.

The fix usually isn't less load. It's more — heavy, progressive, and built up the right way (not a license to be wreckless). That's what tells the tendon to rebuild and get stronger.

The catch: how hard a tendon is actually loaded isn't the same across the board. Two people doing the "same" exercise can be worlds apart. That's where individualized loading beats a generic protocol every time.

👉Save this if you found it useful and follow for daily knee and ACL rehab tips

Adopted from PMID 36135039

1 month ago | [YT] | 5

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

If you're months out and still fighting for range of motion... this one's for you.

He had the harder road. ACL and meniscus repair, then a manipulation when scar tissue created a roadblock.

That's when he drew a line in the sand. We started working together, and for a while, progress was slow and full motion felt impossible.

A personalized plan and months of consistency made all the difference.

Range of motion doesn't always come easy. It's not always a massive turnaround in 3 weeks.

People recover differently, and that's ok.

Follow these 3 steps and you'll get there:

✅️1. Have a personalized plan. One that adapts to your schedule, your swelling, your symptoms, your progress. One that identifies the underlying cause of your tightness.

✅️2. Measure it consistently. How do you actually know if the plan is working? It's a guessing game unless it's measured

✅️3. Daily deposits. The best plan that's done inconsistently won't get results. Show up each day and chip away.

Want to learn the exact system my client's use to get their knee range of motion back?

👉Comment "ROM" and I'll send the video your way.

1 month ago | [YT] | 4

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

Most ACL recoveries fail in the first 3 months...don't let that be you

👉Comment "milestones" and I'll send you the video

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1 month ago | [YT] | 2

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

More motion.✅️
Less stiffness.✅️
Better control.✅️

Same knee.
100% online.

No hands-on work — just the right plan, applied the right way.

This is where a lot of people get stuck👇

working hard, but missing what actually drives progress.

I recently made a video breaking down how online ACL & knee rehab actually works.

If you’ve ever wondered whether this approach could work for you,

👉Comment "online" and I'll send you the video

1 month ago | [YT] | 2

John Kahl PT DPT SCS CSCS

More motion.✅️
Less stiffness.✅️
Better control.✅️

Same knee.
100% online.

No hands-on work — just the right plan, applied the right way.

Now on his 3rd knee surgery recovery, he didn't want to settle for basic rehab anymore.

He chose specialized help ✅️

This is where a lot of people get stuck👇

working hard, but missing what actually drives progress.

I recently made a video breaking down how online ACL & knee rehab actually works.

If you’ve ever wondered whether this approach could work for you,

👉Comment "online" and I'll send you the video

2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 8